Overwhelmed. Anxious. Joyful. Afraid. These are some of the many words parents of premature babies have used to describe their feelings in the NICU.
As Prematurity Awareness Month comes to a close, we’re honoring the preemie parents who coped with the rollercoaster of emotions and surrounded their little fighters with love and hope. We asked the HuffPost Parents Facebook community to share photos of themselves with their babies in the NICU and recall how they were feeling in that moment.
Keep scrolling to see these images and read their emotional stories.
1
Alana J. Martinez
2
Kristin Aucoin
3
Alicia Femat
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4
Katie Nordquist
5
Courtenay Austin
6
Lauren Sanders
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7
Nicole Dunham
8
Sara Bode Cohen
9
Nikita Brown
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10
Kelly Zimmerman
11
David Tassos
12
Sarah Dill
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13
Michelle Jacob
14
Lauren Acosta
15
Mikhayla Mattson
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16
Valerie Gonzales Stokes
17
Sarah Hager
18
BriAnna Poe
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19
Kylee Wilson Freimuth
20
Marty Greer Robinson
21
Kelly Keister
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22
Simone Praylow
23
JoLynn Sieburg Baumer
24
Sara Scapanski-Schindele
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25
Ashley Marie McCarthy
26
Paige Parsons
27
Julie Borbon-Marcelin
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28
Nohemi Ruelas
29
Kamaljit Bath
30
Michelle Dickinson
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31
Jeni Baker
32
Bridie Dillon
33
Cindy Mata Gross
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34
April King
35
MaryBeth Diefert
36
Kati Cooper
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37
Brittany Lee
38
Dena 'Abrams' Rosenberg
39
Angel Phillips Holstein
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40
Grace Bolunia
41
Laura Powers
42
Georgeanna Banks
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43
Jessica Hoepf Costa
44
Katie Bennett
45
Kyra Gilmore Kruger
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46
Melissa Silvey
47
Stephanie Turner
48
Nolene Avery
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49
Robin Mitchell
50
Alana Huff
51
Rebecca Savoth Pastore
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52
Jill James
53
Amanda Nally
54
Jessica Marie
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55
Amanda Oram
56
Donna Jean Benavides
57
Erin Nelson Rogers
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58
Allison Johnson
59
Tara Smith
60
Jennifer Lynn
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61
Sarah Fairbanks
62
Ryan Arpin
63
Lisa Rivers
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64
Anya Brown
65
Humphrey Britt
66
Lauren Sebald Noll
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67
Amy Crelin
68
Amanda Migneault
69
Krystal Hyder
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70
Sara Lindy
71
Delany Mae Wanken-Essing
72
Andrea Elizabeth
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73
Kelly Hildreth
74
Sarah Smith
75
Sarah Faust
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76
Kara Kireyczyk
77
Anna May Hofmarks